This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Friday, January 29, 2016

As we get near the end of the fabulous lot of Kodak Instamatic photos given to me by "Mr. X", you'll be seeing some extra-nice images... there have been some good ones in the past, but I saved some of the best for last (unintentional rhyme).

Like this wonderful shot taken from a Motorboat, which makes it unusual right away. I love seen the names on the boats, "Leprechaun" and "Faline". OK, smarties (no cheating)... who can name all of the boats from the Motor Boat Cruise?! I also love the low angle view of the Peoplemover and Monorail, with what I believe is part of the Fantasyland Autopia queue structure to the right. And of course you've got that Matterhorn too.

Here's another beauty, showing the yellow Monorail as it approaches the station at the Disneyland Hotel. I cropped off about 1/3 of the photo because it was just empty sky. I don't have much to say about this one, but it's awesome!

10 comments:

Unusual angles, indeed-! It's not that often a shipboard shot is seen. That really gives you the feeling of almost being underwater. And the shot from the stairs at the DL Hotel Monorail station. I've walked up those stairs many a time - right along with those green pagoda lights. (Okay, the lights weren't actually walking). And in the distance - the Richfield Gas Station. "Fill 'er up-!"

Not sure whether I like these pics more for their unusual angles or for THOSE CARS!(Hot sun on chrome, sliding around on vinyl because no seatbelts, windows open with stinky marsh smell pouring in on the way to the shore "Whew! Put your shoes back on!" and Stevie, Petula Clark and the Monkees on the AM radio...it's summer in the 1960's)

The first image is awesome! All that multi-level layered transportation intertwined and working together to give it that sense of wonder and futurism. That WAS Tomorrowland. In my opinion, present day Imagineers can't hold a candle to the first generation of Imagineers and designers who helped create Walt Disney's original magic kingdom.

The closing of the Motor Boat Cruise was the beginning of the removal of many classic long standing attractions from Disneyland when there was no need to do so because of lack of physical space. It was strictly cost cutting without regard to increased ride capacity and guests absorption. It was about this time that I began to fall out of love with Disneyland. Thank you Mr. X and Major.

Picture 01 is just brilliant, unusual viewpoint, multi-layered and color-coordinated with the red boats and PM, yellow monorail and cars. Wonderful stuff. I think that is a Skyway cable, you can just make out the tower. Too bad there's no red or yellow bucket.

Picture 02 is a big favorite, Daveland has a similar shot with monorail yellow coordinating with the hotel sign.

The corresponding new location in Downtown Disney is more plush but the view is completely closed off. The monorail approaches through a crowded building landscape, invisible until it rounds the corner, but it's still awesome to hear the unmistakable horn as it slows for approach. Some of the old 3D effects are still in play as the monorail passes through the Grand Californian and the bridge over Buena Vista Street.

The renderings are building high hopes for the new river alignment having some similar effects.

Boy I love the Mk. II monorails, I really do. I like how Monorail Gold is sneaking into the first shot. Great stuff, Major, and I had no idea the Motor Boats even had names. Every day I learn something new...

Nanook, I hope that Mr. X wasn’t underwater! Did you stay a the Hotel a lot? I don’t think I ever even walked around the grounds until sometime in the late 1980’s.

Kenneth Lane, I loved your awesome comment! Sliding around on vinyl… just like my parent’s station wagon. Those bench seats. I still remember wanting to hear “Daydream Believer” on the jukebox at a roast beef sandwich place that we liked to go to.

K. Martinez, that one is my favorite of the two, in part because I have other photos like the second one, but NO others like that one. I agree with you, the closing of a ride for no reason other than to avoid spending money on people and maintenance is awful. If they replaced it with something fun, OK. But how long has that area been sitting, unused except as a place for smokers to go?

Chuck, a velociraptor??

MRaymond, you may be right… you’d think that at least a part of a Skyway bucket would be visible if the ride was operating.

JG, that part of Tomorrowland, with the layers of moving vehicles of all sorts, is a kind of brilliant that we don’t see these days. The ambition to even attempt that is impressive. I think I have a half-dozen photos in my collection with red and yellow Monorails approaching the Disneyland Hotel station, which is why I can be so cavalier about the second picture! My guess is that the rendering of the Rivers of America that was recently released is at least 50% artistic fantasy. Will there be four or five waterfalls? I hope so!

Patrick Devlin, I’m glad you like these! I really was hoping that somebody had a list of the names of all of the motor boats (since it was not in the “Disneyland Encyclopedia”), but I suppose that was not realistic!

Ken M., I agree with everything you said! From your comment about the Imagineers of yesterday compared to the current ones, to the comment about "falling out of love with Disneyland". It's sad, but that is exactly what happened to me!